1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure is generally directed to abrasive products and methods related to the polishing and finishing of hard surfaces.
2. Description of the Related Art
Abrasive products, such as coated abrasives, bonded abrasives, and loose abrasives are used in various industries to machine work pieces, such as by lapping, grinding, or polishing. Surface processing using abrasive products spans a wide industrial scope from initial coarse material removal to high precision finishing and polishing of surfaces at a submicron level, also called superfinishing, micro-polishing, micro-finishing, and micromachining. Effective and efficient superfinishing of surfaces, particularly metal surfaces, poses numerous challenges.
Surface characteristics, such as surface roughness, can influence the performance and longevity of metal surfaces. For example, industrial mill rolls, crankshafts, cam shafts, engine components, and aircraft landing bearings rely on metal surfaces that have been precision polished to achieve proper performance and efficiency.
Industries that produce or rely on such highly smooth, highly polished hard surfaces are sensitive to factors that influence operational costs, including the speed at which a surface can be prepared, the cost of the materials used to prepare that surface, and the costs associated with the time expended to prepare a surface. Typically, industry seeks to achieve cost effective abrasive materials and processes that achieve high material removal rates. However, abrasives and abrasive processes that exhibit high removal rates often also tend to exhibit poor performance, if not impossibility, in achieving desired surface characteristics associated with high precision finishing and polishing of surfaces, such as at a submicron level. Conversely, abrasives that produce such desirable surface characteristics often have low material removal rates.
Therefore, the industry continues to demand further improved abrasive products and polishing methods that can offer enhanced processing performance, efficiency, and improved surface quality, particularly at a submicron level.